Wednesday, 22 November 2017

My Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Men

Acrophobia is the fear of heights, and I guess if you're applying to work as a window cleaner in Seoul, the first question you're asked is "Do you have acrophobia?"

(The brave window cleaners and my neighborhood)

I would have wanted to ask these guys cleaning the windows of our apartment building that question. But I think it's moot, or they would have told me to close my windows so they could clean it.Hanging a few hundred feet above ground, dangling and swaying on the side of a tall building, these fearless guys clean your dusty, dirty apartment windows. Dirt usually comes from the yellow dust and air pollution.But before they're scheduled to clean, the building management tells everyone to make sure their windows are closed before they leave their apartments. Some buildings in Seoul though have windows that don't open.But ours can be opened, which I like. I could easily let fresher air (or polluted air depending on the day!) come in into my place in case it gets stocky. The windows, by the way, could only be opened to a limited degree for safety reasons. And on the morning when they started cleaning, I tried to peep out my window to ask them if I could join their outdoor picnic.

(Your friendly neighborhood spider-men)

Instead, I closed just my window shut, or they would have told me to join the Cirque de Soleil instead. Ha-ha-ha!Thanks to these guys, my windows are clean, which gives me a clearer view of the city. Did I tell you from my window I can see Myeongdong, Seoul Tower, Namsan, Dongdaemun, Gwanak-san, Lotte World Tower, and of course, the airplanes from afar that are about to land at Gimpo Airport?

So the next time you see these guys dangling on the side of a building, try appreciating their bravery. They're your friendly neighborhood spider-men.